The Cape Coast Metro Hospital, a critical healthcare facility serving the community, has become a symbol of neglect and indifference from local authorities.
A concerned group of citizens, having visited the hospital last year, embarked on a tireless campaign by writing numerous letters to key officials, including the District Chief Executive (DCE), the Regional Health Directorate, and the Member of Parliament (MP).
However, their pleas for urgent attention and improvements have fallen on deaf ears.
Despite being the primary source of healthcare for many residents, the hospital’s plight continues unabated, with no discernible response or action from those in power.
The dire conditions within the hospital raise serious questions about the adequacy of healthcare services and the commitment of authorities to the well-being of the community.
See pictures below:
We visited the Cape Coast Metro Hospital last year. We wrote several letters to the DCE, the Regional Health Directorate, the MP and till date, no reply to any of our letters and absolutely nothing has been done about this hospital. Humans receive healthcare in this facility. https://t.co/y2VvKyIeHWpic.twitter.com/UKaw1GLFSv
An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of a tragic fire that consumed a five-story building in Johannesburg, which had been taken over for unauthorized housing. Officials from the city and the region, who visited the scene, have pledged to hold those responsible accountable for the devastating overnight fire.
Lebogang Maile, the MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development for Gauteng, affirmed, “If any city official is found to have disregarded their duties or neglected their responsibilities, there will be consequences.”
The fire occurred on Thursday morning and resulted in the loss of more than 70 lives, including children, as reported by Johannesburg city’s emergency services. An additional 52 individuals were injured, making it one of the deadliest recent fires on a global scale.
The bodies of the victims were discovered accumulated at a closed security gate, preventing their escape from the blaze, according to an official account. The building, situated in a deprived and crime-prone area, had been repurposed for illegal housing after being abandoned. Many of the occupants were foreigners.
Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi shared, “We now have 73 fatalities and 52 injured individuals who have been transported to various healthcare facilities for further treatment.” Among the deceased were at least seven children, with the youngest being under two years old.
Kenny Bupe, a survivor caught in the fire while visiting a friend, recounted the chaos. “I’m thankful to be alive. Many of us were running, trying to find the fire exit, and unfortunately, many people lost their lives due to smoke inhalation.” He revealed that some individuals resorted to breaking open a locked fire escape gate, while others jumped out of windows to escape the flames.
Firefighters have managed to extinguish the fire, and search and recovery operations are ongoing. Mulaudzi explained, “We are systematically recovering bodies on each floor.”
This tragic event has left the city of Johannesburg deeply saddened, with Mulaudzi expressing, “It is indeed a somber day for Johannesburg… In my over 20 years of service, I have never encountered something like this.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Mgcini Tshwaku, a member of the city’s mayoral committee overseeing public safety, suggested that candles used for lighting inside the building could be a potential cause. The building had been repurposed for informal settlement, and the tragic outcome was exacerbated by a closed security gate that prevented people from escaping.
Illegal occupation of abandoned structures is widespread in Johannesburg’s city center, often controlled by criminal syndicates collecting rent from occupants. South Africa, as a significant economic hub on the continent, attracts numerous migrants, many of whom are undocumented, from various African nations.
This fire marks one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s recent history and stands as a stark reminder of the challenges associated with informal housing and urban development.
Some traders, particularly Ghanaian onion vendors, have been left stuck as a result of the Benin border shutdown.
If the border is not opened quickly, these onion vendors worry that their products would spoil before they can sell them on the Ghanaian market.
Therefore, they pleaded with the Ghanaian government to intervene by starting talks with the Beninese government to reopen the border so that stranded traders may enter Ghana.
The Niger coup has sealed down the border with Benin, leaving the drivers of the onions stuck there for days.
The sellers of roughly 15 trucks of onions expressed concern that the onions might spoil if the President did not get involved by speaking with those in charge at the Benin border.
During an interview on Eyewitness News, the spokesperson for the onion sellers association, Yakubu Akpeneda said, “We have loaded onions from Niger, and they have parked at the Benin border, they are now in Benin, but the border has been locked. They said they locked the border because of the Niger coup. On August 2, they promised to open the border at midnight, but we didn’t hear anything.”
“We are calling on the authorities to intervene in the matter, else the onions will rot if they keep long on the road. The authorities should help us by talking to authorities in Benin to open the border for us to bring our onions to Ghana. Our trucks are plenty, the trucks are more than 15. And they are all carrying onions”.
He suggested that the predicament might have an impact on onion pricing in several markets.
A road that was washed away has left behind a deep gully, creating a challenging situation for the residents of a house located nearby. As a result, they have resorted to improvising ways to access their residence.
To navigate the gully, the residents ingeniously constructed two wooden ladders. One smaller ladder was placed on the other side of the gully, while a much longer one was positioned in front of the house.
The concerning state of affairs was captured in a video seen by GhanaWeb, and the incident occurred in Bortianor, within the Ngleshie Amanfro Constituency of the Greater Accra Region.
Accompanying the video was a commentary that circulated on various social media platforms, urging the relevant authorities, especially at the local government level, to come to the aid of these vulnerable residents.
GhanaWeb cannot independently verify the duration for which the residents have been facing this challenging situation, nor can it confirm whether the disaster is a recent occurrence or has been persisting for some time.
Reports say French police are preparing for more violent protests around the nation.
The AFP news agency reports that an internal security note says the “coming nights” are expected “to be the theatre of urban violence” – with “actions targeted at the forces of order and the symbols of the state”.
We already know that Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has arranged for 40,000 police officers to be deployed across France tonight, in order to deal with any further unrest.
Cuba’s fuel supply problem has worsened considerably, with authorities now halting some activities and restricting supplies after days of citizens lining up in enormous lines to buy gasoline.
The government of Cuba has severely restricted the sale of gasoline, suspended events including a performance by the national symphony, and moved some university sessions online due to severe fuel shortages.
Cubans have experiences shortages of all kinds of goods amid the recent economic crisis but the cancellation of activities because of fuel shortages had not been reported previously. The cancellations come following days of long lines to get gasoline at filling stations.
Experts say the lack of gasoline and diesel is not due to a lack of crude oil — Cuba produces about half of what it needs and buys the rest from other countries – but to the difficulties refining it.
“There is no lack of crude oil in Cuba,” said Jorge Piñón, senior research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute.
He said Venezuela is selling Cuba a similar amount of crude or even slightly more than it did last year. Cuba has also received oil from Russia, though details of these agreements are unknown.
Piñón said Cuba in April also received two tankers from Mexican state oil company Pemex carrying 300,000 barrels of crude oil each.
He blamed he shortages on technical production problems in the refineries, which were built in 1957.
Cuban authorities have not given a specific reason for the shortages, but in previous days have mentioned difficulties with “inputs,” which Piñón said could refer to an additive Cuba gets from Iran needed to refine Venezuela’s heavy crude.
The fuel shortages started being critical this weekend.
On Monday afternoon, the commercial director of the state-owned Cubapetroleo, Lidia Rodríguez, warned there are low levels of “refineable crude.”
Meanwhile, authorities in Villa Clara said in statement published on the government’s Facebook page that fuel will only be sold to drivers of cars licensed to operate as public carriers and provide basic services, i.e. ambulances, and vehicles used in emergencies or burials.
Universities in the provinces of Villa Clara, Holguín, Sancti Spíritus and Universidad Agraria de La Habana said that starting Monday classes will be temporarily online.
On Sunday, a concert by the Cuban National Symphony in the capital’s main theater was canceled due to lack of fuel.
Authorities say two adolescent girls have admitted killing a classmate with a knife.
The victim, who was only given her first name, Luise, failed to come home on Saturday after seeing a friend.
The next day, in a woodland close to a defunct train station in the western town of Freudenberg, a thorough police search led to the discovery of her body.
Speaking yesterday, Florian Locker, head of Koblenz police’s homicide department gave further updates on the two teenagers questioned in relation to the death.
A book of condolences and a card reading ‘We mourn Luise’ at a Protestant church in Freudenberg (Picture: Ina Fassbender/AFP)Police forces stand at a cordon near where the schoolgirl’s body was found (Picture: AP)
Two children admit to killing 12-year old girl in Germany
He said the two girls, aged 12 and 13, ‘made statements about the matter and in the end admitted the crime.’
Luise had been friends with her killers but the trio had fallen out, according to reports.
They all attended the same school with the 13-year-old in the same class as the victim.
Both suspects are too young to be held criminally responsible for their actions in Germany, where the age of criminal responsibility starts at 14.
The knife, or knives, involved in the stabbing are yet to be located.
The girls who ‘confessed’ cannot be arrested as they are below the age of criminal responsibility.A fence is seen close to the site where the body of a killed schoolgirl was found.
Luise was found with a number of stab wounds and died from a huge loss of blood.
Prosecutors told the press they are assuming the ‘crime was committed by two children from the girl’s circle of acquaintances’.
They were taken into a youth welfare office – a local government department specifically tasked with the support and protection of children, adolescents and families.
Prosecutor Mario Mannweiler said: ‘What might be a motive for children to commit a crime may not come to an adult’s mind.
‘So we can’t say anything on that right now because otherwise, I would be forced to mention details from the investigation and I am not allowed to do that.
‘This is a case which is shocking, both for us as well as for all of you. We are aware of that.’
Hendrik Wuest, the governor of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia where Freudenberg is located, said he was appalled by the killing.
He said: ‘It is incomprehensible and unbearable that children are capable of such horrible acts.’
He promised that the authorities would do everything in their power to shed light on the reasons and circumstances of the crime.
South Africa’s passenger rail agency (Prasa) has prohibited preaching, gambling, and unauthorized trade in its new trains.
The local media reported that the new development is among measures meant to ensure that “one particular behavioural system of any other group cannot be imposed on other commuters on board”, the agency’s spokesperson Lilian Mofokeng is quoted as saying.
It will also enhance passenger safety and onboard cleanliness.
“We are doing this in an effort to ensure that there is the free passage of movement for our commuters, so that they are kept clean and safe,” she said.
Informal traders and preachers have opposed the new measure.
World leaders are set to discuss action to tackle climate change, at the UN climate summit in Egypt.
It follows a year of climate-related disasters and broken temperature records.
What is the UN climate summit?
UN climate summits are held every year, for governments to agree steps to limit global temperature rises.
They are referred to as COPs, which stands for “Conference of the Parties”. The parties are the attending countries that signed up to the original UN climate agreement in 1992.
COP27 is the 27th annual UN meeting on climate. It will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh from 6 to 18 November.
Why are COP meetings needed?
The world is warming because of emissions produced by humans, mostly from burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal.
Global temperatures have risen 1.1C and are heading towards 1.5C, according to the UN’s climate scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
If temperatures rise 1.7 to 1.8C above 1850s levels, the IPCC estimates that half the word’s population could be exposed to life-threatening heat and humidity.
To prevent this, 194 countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, pledging to “pursue efforts” to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, The Pakistani floods this year are a “wake-up call” to the world on the threats of climate change, experts have said
Who will be at COP27?
More than 200 governments are invited.
However, some leaders of major economies including Russian leader Vladimir Putin are not expected to attend. Delegates from the country are still expected.
Other countries, including China, have not confirmed whether their leaders will take part.
Hosts Egypt have called on countries to put their differences aside and “show leadership”.
Environmental charities, community groups, think tanks, businesses and faith groups will also take part.
Why is COP27 in Egypt?
This will be the fifth time a COP has been hosted in Africa.
The region’s governments hope it will draw attention to the severe impacts of climate change on the continent. The IPCC says Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world.
Currently, 17 million people are estimated to be facing food insecurity in east Africa because of drought.
However, choosing Egypt as the venue has attracted controversy.
Some human rights and climate campaigners say the government has stopped them attending because they have criticised its rights record.
What will be discussed at COP27?
Ahead of the meeting, countries were asked to submit ambitious national climate plans. Only 25 have – so far.
COP27 will focus on three main areas:
Reducing emissions
Helping countries to prepare and deal with climate change
Securing technical support and funding for developing countries for these activities
Some areas not fully resolved or covered at COP26 will be picked up:
Loss and damage finance – money to help countries recover from the effects of climate change, rather than just prepare for it
Establishment of a global carbon market – to price the effects of emissions into products and services globally
Strengthen the commitments to reduce coal use
There will also be themed days for focused talks and announcements on issues including gender, agriculture and biodiversity.
Do we expect any sticking points?
Finance has been long been an issue at climate talks.
In 2009, developed countries committed to give $100 billion a year, by 2020, to developing countries to help them reduce emissions and prepare for climate change.
The target was missed and moved back to 2023.
But developing nations are also calling for payments for “loss and damage” – the impacts faced now.
An option for making payments was excluded from the Bonn climate talks, after pushback from wealthier nations who feared they would be forced to pay compensation for decades.
The EU agreed discussions should take place at COP27.
You will hear a lot of jargon:
Paris accord: The Paris Agreement united all the world’s nations – for the first time – in a single agreement on tackling global warming and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions
IPCC: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change examines the latest research into climate change
1.5C: Keeping the rise in global average temperature below 1.5C – compared with pre-industrial times – will avoid the worst impacts of climate change, scientists say
How will we know if it has been successful?
It depends who you speak to.
Developing countries, as a minimum, will want loss and damage finance to be an agenda item. They will also be pushing to have a date set for when they might start to receive payments.
Developed nations will be looking for more commitment from large developing countries – such as China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa – to move away from coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels.
There are also pledges from last year – on forests, coal, and methane – that more countries may sign up to.
However, some scientists believe world leaders have left it too late and no matter what is agreed at COP27, 1.5C will not be achieved.
